The Christmas Shoes
by Numb3rsfan
Summary: Young Don Eppes wants to buy his mother a pair of Christmas Shoes.


**The Christmas Shoes**

By

**Numb3rsfan**

Rating: G

Warnings: Probably just a tissue warning.

Disclaimer: I don't own Numb3rs.

Author's Notes: I don't know if Margaret Eppes died near Christmas time or not, so if she didn't, well then, mea culpa. Also, the song "The Christmas Shoes" was written by Newsong

Summary: Young Don Eppes wants to buy his mother a pair of Christmas Shoes.

NUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RS

_It was almost Christmas time, there I stood in another line._

_Tryin' to buy that last gift or two, not really in the Christmas mood._

_Standing right in front of me was a little boy waiting anxiously._

_Pacing 'round like little boys do,_

_And in his hands he held a pair of shoes._

Shawn Osborne sighed as he glanced at the clock that hung on the wall of the Target store as it prepared to close down for the next few days. He was lucky that they had remained open so long, seeing as it was Christmas Eve.

Looking ahead, Shawn rolled his eyes and sighed as a customer at the checkout line slowly took out her checkbook and began to fill out a blank check.

Shaking his head, Shawn looked down at the one person that stood between him and the checkout. It was a small little boy who looked really nervous as he bounced up and down on his heels.

It didn't escape Shawn's notice that in the boy's hands was a shoe box.

The lid was open a bit and Shawn got a look at what was in the box.

'**Man, what an ugly pair of shoes!'** he thought.

_And his clothes were worn and old,_

_He was dirty from head to toe._

_And when it came his time to pay,_

_I couldn't believe what I heard him say._

_Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please._

_It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size._

_Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time._

_You see she's been sick for quite a while,_

_And I know these shoes will make her smile._

_And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight._

When the old lady finally stepped away from the checkout, the little boy rushed forward and plunked the box down.

The cashier raised an eyebrow but scanned the price anyway.

"That'll be nineteen ninety nine." He said.

The little, black haired boy reached in to his pocket and took out two bills and a whole bunch of change.

As the cashier took the bills, he saw that it was a five dollar bill and a one dollar bill. Next he started to count the change.

"Please hurry sir!" The little boy begged.

However, the cashier took his time to make sure he got everything right.

_He counted pennies for what seemed like years._

_Then the cashier said, "Son, there's not enough here."_

_He searched his pockets frantically._

_Then he turned and he looked at me._

_He said, "Mama made Christmas good at our house,_

_Though most years she just did without._

_Tell me sir, what am I going to do?_

_Somehow I've got to buy her these Christmas shoes!"_

After a good five minutes, the cashier straightened and shook his head.

"Son, there's not enough here." He said.

The boy started to panic as he put his hands in to his empty pockets, hoping to find more change.

When he couldn't, the cashier beckoned to Mr. Osborne to step up, but before he could, the little boy, with tears streaming down his face, turned to Shawn and said, "Mama, she made Christmas the best time of the year at our house, though most years she just did without. Please tell me sir, what am I going to do? Somehow, I gotta get her these Christmas Shoes!"

Then, lowering his head, the boy slowly left the line and headed for the door.

Shawn watched the boy, swallowing at the lump in his throat that the boy had caused with his very moving story.

"Hey..hey kid! Wait a minute!" Shawn said.

_So I laid the money down, I just had to help him out._

_And I'll never forget the look on his face when he said,_

"_Mama's gonna look so great!"_

_Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my mama, please._

_It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size._

_Could you hurry sir, Daddy says there's not much time._

_You see she's been sick for quite a while,_

_and I know these shoes will make her smile._

_And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight._

Turning, the little boy looked back at the man as he pulled a ten dollar bill out of his coat pocket and handed it to the cashier.

"This is for him." Shawn said, before he picked up the shoe box and handed it to the boy, who wiped the tears away from his face.

"Thank you sir! Mama's gonna look so great!" he said, before he ran out of the store.

Shawn watched him, a smile growing on his face.

"Sir."

Shawn turned and looked to the cashier, who motioned to the items in Shawn's hand.

Looking down at the items, Shawn wordlessly shook his head and put them down before he walked out of the store.

_I knew I'd caught a glimpse of Heaven's love,_

_As he thanked me and ran out._

_I knew that God had sent that little boy,_

_To remind me, what Christmas is all about._

As fast as he could, the little boy ran through the snow, falling several times in his haste to reach his home.

Finally he ran across the street, through the yard, not stopping until he reached the front door.

Opening it, he entered the house and went to his parent's bedroom, where his Alan knelt down on the floor, holding Margaret's hand, as tears poured down his face.

Margaret weakly looked over at her eldest son as he came in, a shoe box in his hands.

"Momma…I got these for you to wear in Heaven." Don said as he opened the shoe box and took the shoes out.

He gently handed them to Margaret who ran a loving hand over them.

With a weak smile she handed them back to Don.

"Thank you, sweetie." She whispered, "Would you put them on me?"

With a nod, Don moved to the foot of the bed and waited while Alan flipped the covers up.

Then Don reverently took first one foot and then the other, carefully fitting the shoes on before he went back to the head of the bed.

Sniffing back the tears, Don grasped his mother's hand.

"I love you mama." He whispered.

"I love you too…very much sweetie." Margaret replied weakly.

Looking to her husband, Margaret said, "Take care of the boys…they're going to need you…now more than ever."

With tears pouring down his face, Alan whispered, "I will, honey." Before he kissed Margaret's hand.

With a trembling jaw, Don watched his mother smile before her beautiful, loving eyes closed and her weak breathing slow and then stop.

_Sir I want to buy these shoes for my mama please._

_It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size._

_Could you hurry sir?_

_Daddy says there's not much time._

_You see she's been sick for quite a while,_

_And I know these shoes will make her smile._

_And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight._

With tears pouring down his face, Don stepped forward and lowered his head on to his mother's chest as he cried his heart out.

His deepest wish was for his mother to wrap her loving arms around him, but he knew that that simple act would never happen again.

Alan for his part, just bowed his head and cried his heart out as he still held on to Margaret's hand, vowing to himself never to let go, even though he knew that it was a foolish vow.

Meanwhile in the garage the clicks of chalk on a blackboard had never ceased, even when Don had left, till his return.

Sure Charlie knew of his mother's illness, and he had a good feeling of what had just happened a few seconds ago, but he just couldn't stop working, even as tears started to fall down his young face.

"I love you mama." He whispered as he wiped the tears from his eyes and continued working, even though more tears started to fall.

But, from somewhere very far off, Charlie thought he heard his mother say, **"I love you to."** Which made the young boy stop working and look up as the tears streamed down his face.

_I want her to look beautiful_

_If Mama meet's Jesus tonight. _

THE END


End file.
